Here are the only two things you need to make money in the middle, a legitimate buyer and seller.  

Then, interview those folks thoroughly to determine which are legitimate customers and not shills.

That was my point.I dont do SEO for Google.I do it for the users.The fact I linked my flipping blog to my seo for investors blog together will NEVER be penalized because it is legitimate whitehat SEO.I genuinely put amazing content on these blogs and users get value of out these links.

(entire interior of unit i have full control over, condo association minds their own business otherwise & only cares about common spaces & exterior)Also - new bedroom will be a legitimate bedroom in the sense of the following universal bedroom standards:- 2 points of egress- door/entrance that does not pass through another bedroom- windows for ventilation and natural lighting- 70-80 square feet (with more than 7-8 feet of free space in any direction-no closet, but closet available outside of enclosed room (not a necessity according to most universal bedroom standards)Any repercussions not getting a permit (what would a town do) or getting a permit (impacts on taxes/valuation of home, etc)?

More important is the idea that as BP grows it is inevitable that more scammers will attempt to use any form of appearing legitimate through this site's eyes in order to fleece people.

Or, is there a legitimate work around?

Here's some background:They are located in Columbia, South Carolina and are all college student rentals.They are all on separate tax parcels but are all within ~2 miles of each other and to the University of South Carolina.I have owned many of them for 5+ years and have had zero vacancies with most of them.There are 84 BRs total and bring in 55k/month in gross rent.They are fully leased, stabilized, and generally speaking, in good condition.I believe the valuation to be ~5MM if I sold them individually.I want to sell them together for 1031 purposes.My questions are these:What kind of legitimate buyer should I expect to buy these if I wanted to sell them collectively? 

It is not for everyone however, you must have legitimate self-employment activity or small business w/o full time employees in order to quality.There are several reputable providers who are active participants on the forum, do some search, read other discussions, contact couple of them and personally interview them, review their references, then make your choice. 

Murphy exemption" (web search it).Your best bet is to consult a local attorney whom can advise you of your options ("reasonable accommodation" if another tenant in the building is highly allergic, lying on application to disqualify, etc.)Unfortunately, most ESA letters are scams, which marginalizes the legitimate folks.

There are plenty of faces that pop up on this forum a lot that say a whole lot of nothing as well.I would say I respect the posters who have a range of experience, have actually done a lot of deals, and also have bilateral opinions that see what may be legitimate and illegitimate about both sides of a topic tend to earn my respect.